The guest in the latest edition of the Business Club podcast with Branko Azeski is Aleksandar Manev, MBA, Chief Executive Officer of Croatia Osiguruvanje AD, a non-life insurance company in Skopje, and a member of the Management Board of the Economic Chamber. The podcast discusses the current situation in the insurance sector and the state of the economy.

Manev began his career as a lending officer at NLB Banka AD Skopje, working in both corporate and retail banking. He then moved to the position of General Director at Ilirika Fund Management AD Skopje, where he was responsible for introducing general policies, best business practices, and developing macroeconomic analyses, projections, and business plans.

Between 2012 and 2017, he worked at Business Retail Energy Services in Skopje, where he was responsible for selling electricity to corporate clients. In 2016, he became Director of Idea Plus Communication in Skopje.

Due to his extensive professional experience, he spent one year as an external advisor in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs in the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia (2017–2018), and was part of the executive group responsible for creating economic measures to attract foreign direct investments. He also served as an external expert at the Fund for Innovation and Technological Development, evaluating the use of funds by companies applying for grant programs.

Since 2020, he has been the CEO of Croatia Osiguruvanje AD, a non-life insurance company in Skopje. As he explains, Croatia Osiguruvanje stands for fair treatment and trust:

“From a company that had premium income of 6 million euros in 2020, this year we will end with 20 million euros,” says Manev. He emphasizes that the most important things are the company’s quality and its people, followed by the numbers:

“Numbers matter, but it is the people who create the spirit of a company.”

He adds that the company has a mission and a clear vision, a strong team, and stable finances, while gradually introducing digital technologies with particular emphasis on cyber risks.

Speaking about the company’s market position, Manev states that it ranks third in terms of net written premium and fifth in gross written premium out of 11 insurance companies. He also highlights that they are the leaders in private health insurance and offer the highest-quality services in this segment.

Since 2018, Manev has also been the owner of Faktor Media Group in Skopje, managing one of the most relevant and most visited media groups in the country (Faktor.mk – business and economy, Zenskimagazin.mk – women’s magazine, and Maskimagazin.mk – men’s magazine).

Asked about his influence on editorial policy, he states:

“Just like in any business, the media should hire the best people and let them do their job.”

Alongside his professional work, he is also the President of the Alumni Association of the Faculty of Economics at Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje. Regarding the Faculty, he notes that with its new working approach and the fresh ideas of young professors, it is ready for new times and challenges. However, he emphasizes that the foreign universities where he continued his education — the University of Sheffield in England, City College in Thessaloniki, the Bled School of Management in Slovenia, and Northwestern University in the USA (Kellogg's Executive Education program) — offer a different approach: learning through case studies, problem solving, and significant share of practical teaching.

In the podcast, Manev also reveals some of his personal interests — a love for mountaineering and reading books, especially by authors who are successful business leaders.